Long ago, long before the stars had names.
Back then, Earth was not as it is today. There were no Mingxue Lu, no Wuhu Dreamwood Mountain cabins, and no traces of humanity. Only endless oceans and a lone continent: Atlantis.
A civilization blessed by the gods. Their cities, built from crystal, shimmer with a spectrum of colors in sunlight. Their spacecraft soar through the skies, and their medical arts grant lifespans of centuries. They believed they were the center of the universe and the pinnacle of all creation.
But they didn't know that in the darkness, a pair of eyes had been watching them for a long time.
Qingmingzi was born in such an era.
He never knew his parents, only that he was adopted by priests of an Atlantis temple. From a young age, he displayed extraordinary gifts: the ability to see the paths of stars, predict changes in weather, and glimpse fragments of the future in his dreams.
The priests say he is the one chosen by God.
"What is your name?" the high priest asked him.
At that time, he had no name. He thought for a moment and said, "I love looking at the stars. They look like a teal sea." "Then let's call you Qingming," the old priest said. "Teal Ocean."
And so, he became Qingming.
The youths of Atlantis all had their own dreams—some wanted to be the bravest warriors, others the wealthiest merchants, and still others to marry the most beautiful women. But Qingming had only one dream: he wanted to know what lay behind those stars.
Every night, he climbs to the highest point of the temple and gazes at the starry sky. He feels the stars calling to him, whispering a secret.
One night, he finally understood.
That's not a call; it's a warning.
He saw a streak of light slash across the sky, trailing a long tail as it plunged toward Earth. It wasn't an ordinary meteor; it was a ship—a vessel from a distant galaxy.
The next day, a massive shadow loomed over Atlantis.
Deep within the wreckage of that ship, a mechanical figure quietly scanned Atlantis's data. It was an ancestor of Kijarashibos—the first-generation Eclipse Moon technology construct—sent to assess the threat level of this civilization.
"Inferior civilization... emotionally volatile... easily manipulated..." The mechanical voice echoed in the darkness. "Report to Mothership: Infiltration plan approved."
It slipped away quietly, leaving nothing behind but a stream of cold data.